The most visible change is a “gorgeous facade made from reclaimed wood from water towers from across the city,” The Public Theater’s executive director Patrick Willingham says, also highlighting improved accessibility and overdue backstage upgrades. “The changes preserve the magic of the experience while future-proofing the space.” On their way in, audiences will also notice more ramps and improved wayfinding signage, while the productions will shine brighter thanks to improved lighting towers. The 1,800 seats have also been designed to be more comfortable with improved sight lines.
To celebrate its glow-up, The Public Theater will be featuring a star-studded production of Twelfth Night, featuring Lupita Nyong’o, Sandra Oh, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Peter Dinklage, and Daphne Rubin-Vega, directed by Saheem Ali, from August 7 through September 14.
“What’s most exciting about the new Delacorte is that it still feels like the theater our audiences know and love but now, everything simply works better,” The Public Theater’s administrative chief of staff Rosalind Barbour tells Traveler.
New Museum (reopening Fall 2025)
Contemporary art institution New Museum was founded in a one-room office on Hudson Street in 1977, moving into an eye-catching building on Bowery at Prince Street in 2007 designed by Japanese architecture firm SANAA. Since last spring, the Nolita institution has been closed to make way for one of its largest endeavors yet: Doubling its gallery space.
The 60,000-square-foot building expansion is designed by OMA / Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas in collaboration with Cooper Robertson. It will be a visual treat all its own: From the outside, they’ll look like two distinct buildings, but the interiors will be a seamless experience, connected on the second through fourth floors of the new seven-floor structure.
Of major anticipation is the top-floor panoramic Sky Room, which will double in size, while the new building will have three more terraces looking upon Bowery. New upstairs spaces will include a 74-seat forum for public programs, plus space for artist residences, as well as the introduction of a purpose-built home for its cultural incubator NEW INC.
The $125 million expansion will most importantly help with visitors flow, adding three elevators, an atrium staircase, and entrance plaza that doubles as an open-air venue for public art. The ground-floor floor expansion will allow for a larger bookstore and a full-service restaurant. The new building will be dedicated to late philanthropist Toby Devan Lewis.
When it reopens in the fall, the entire museum will feature the exhibit New Humans: Memories of the Future following our “diagonal history” spurred by the dramatic technological and societal changes of the 20th and 21st centuries with works from 150 artists, writers, scientists, architects, and filmmakers, exploring our future pathways.
“The New Museum has always been a future-facing museum—not a place for preserving and recording history, but a place where history is made,” Lisa Phillips, Toby Devan Lewis Director of the New Museum said in a statement.
Other museum debuts in New York City
With currently more than 170 museums throughout the city’s five boroughs, several new additions are also on the way. Coming to Harlem this fall is the The Studio Museum in Harlem that will focus on the community’s artists, opening with an exhibit of Tom Lloyd’s artwork as well as the debut of its permanent collection showcasing the works of artists of African descent spanning 200 years.
Looking ahead, The Hip Hop Museum will open in 2026 in the South Bronx near Yankee Stadium putting a spotlight on the birthplace of hip-hop as well as the neighborhood’s often overlooked culture and history. The National Urban League’s Urban Civil Rights Museum exploring the American Civil Rights Movement will also make its debut next year in the league’s new Harlem headquarters.
